Rules of the Game
by Zepphyra.Snow.Storm
Summary: Renji gets Byakuya involved in a gang war that will change both of their lives. Something happens to place Byakuya in harms way, and Renji wasn't there to stop it. Will they be able to pull through together? Or will they be torn apart in the midst of chaos that has been going on since long before their births? Bad summary :L Other pairings, and later lemons, gore/violence, & drugs.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo._**

**Well I finally got the 1st chapter out. This is the sequel to "You Don't Believe in Ghosts?" so if you haven't read that I suggest you read that oneshot before this.**

**In later chapters, there will most likely be a few lemons, but none in this chapter. Ugh. I hate writing lemons. They're tedious for me. XD But I try. lol Oh well, if I suck at them, you can tell me when the time comes. But it's not here yet.**

**I'm rambling o.o What I want to say is that this is different from the oneshot, and although there will be elements incorporated from that, it's mostly a crime/angst/romance fic. Also, there are a couple other pairings in addition to RenBya, the first to be introduced is GinRan. They're one of my favorite pairings, and I have something great planned for them.**

**xxxx**

*****Check my profile for updates on how I'm doing with my fics :) I post on there exactly how many words I have typed, or how far I've written, and other various things of that nature. I tell you if I'm half done, and almost done, etc. So check my profile from time to time!*****

**Enjoy~**

**x~Snow~Storm~x**

* * *

It was dark—darker than death. Shadows danced upon the buildings that the redhead passed by, making him more wary by the second. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Quickening his pace, he reached the thick, lemon yellow glow of a streetlamp.

He widened his stance—hardly noticeable—and called out calmly (for _he_ was in control, not this… other being), "Oi, who's there?"

He heard soft laughter, and the rustle of clothing. "Please," Gin grinned, illumination of the lamp glow lightening his pale visage. "Please, don't get yer panties in a bunch on my account." His voice was sweet like lead acetate; soft and comfortable like a lie.

Renji immediately dropped the duffel bags he carried, and assumed a slightly more aggressive posture, with one foot forward and fists raised.

Gin raised his hands in mock surprise. "Woah, there, ya damn hot head. I'm not here to fight. I know where yer damn house is and I'm not goin' there."

Renji just couldn't take that frivolous grin seriously. "I'm not going to my house." He lied.

"Oh?" Gin elevated a thin, pale brow. "Where are ya goin', then?" He had the striking appearance of a rattlesnake who'd just injected venom into his dinner.

"What's it to ya, _Quincy_?" Renji spat out the word as though it were the vilest blasphemy on the face of the earth.

Gin glared, all trace of humor gone. "Maybe I was tryna make some friendly conversation with a sad, lonely bastard." His reply dripped venom.

"Tch."

When Gin glanced down at his wristwatch, Renji asked, "Somewhere to be?"

"None o' yer business, _Seireitei._" Came the chilling rebuttal.

Renji shrugged. He remained on guard, but watched calmly as Gin hurriedly, yet gracefully, strode past him, bidding him a polite good night.

_Weird ass_.

* * *

_Damn it. I shouldn'ta hung around chattin' so long… Now I'm gonna be late…_ Gin knew that she would wait for him, but she wouldn't be happy when he got there. Their relationship was delicate enough as it stood.

Gin pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. The address on the slip of paper appeared to be the house across the street, to his right. _Excellent. _There were two cars parked on the roadside, and he chose the one further down: a shiny, black '73 Charger. His pale, slender hand delved into his pocket once more and withdrew a set of keys. With a heavy click, the door unlocked, and Gin slid fluidly into the driver's seat. He revved the engine—once, twice—and took off, journeying with unholy rapidity into the countryside.

Yes, he was on the right track. The instructions on that little paper said as much. But he'd be late…

"Keh." _Oh well._

An hour later, Gin entered a narrow driveway, filled with loud, crackly gravel. At the end of the driveway stood what looked like a goddess. Or, she would have looked like a goddess, had such an intense scowl not been adorning her striking features.

Gin quieted the automobile, and with one flowing motion, opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Rangiku…" he murmured, already attempting to placate her anger.

"You asshole!" She drawled. "We get this one night to be together, and this is what you do." She crossed her arms over her ample chest, glowering prettily.

_How she's still so damn beautiful is a mystery tah me…_

Gin sighed. He'd admit it. He fucked up. "Look, Ran…"

"No! I… I can't do this anymore. I—"

"Rangiku." Gin's voice was quiet, but firm and commanding. Rangiku became quiet. "I understand if yah don't trust me, really, I do. But I met Renji tonight and I had tah avoid fightin' with him. So I talked my way outta it. Understand?"

Rangiku still glared, but it wasn't really at anything in particular. Gin understood. He understood completely. She was hurting because all of this was a secret. All of this, as far as anyone else was concerned, didn't exist. She was hurting because she had to hear rumors about the last girl that he slept with, because if he didn't occasionally get laid (that people knew about), Quincy would think he was gay and toss him out. She was hurting because every second they were together like this was a rare, very singular blessing to them. And every second, they were in danger of being found out, and possibly killed right on the spot.

And tonight, he fucked up. Not as bad as it sounds, but bad enough that it upset Rangiku. So to Gin, it was pretty damn bad.

Ignoring Rangiku's mutters of displeasure, he continued walking up the driveway towards her angelic form. Not once did he look at her, not even when he embraced her tightly in his shaking arms.

"I'm sorry," it was just loud enough for her to hear. "I'll just leave earlier next time, yeah?"

* * *

Renji walked the rest of the way home on high alert, looking for any other unwanted surprises. Honestly, he was shocked that a prestigious member of the Quincy wouldn't try to knock a high-standing Seiretei member down, when he had such a brilliant chance. But he shrugged questions such as this off, and pulled his house keys out of his back pocket with a jangle. The door unlocked with a soft click, and he stepped into his dark house. While taking off his shoes, he flicked on the light and then began to trudge up to his room. He figured that he may as well unpack now.

Renji pulled out all of the clothes contained in one duffel bag and roughly stuffed them in a hamper. He removed his hair tie and brushed his hair, reveling in the feel of the bristles against his scalp. Looking at the time, he sighed. _Guess I'll have to shower in the morning._ Renji undressed down to his boxers and threw a Chuck Norris t-shirt on. After tossing his empty duffel bag into his closet, he proceeded to take the other one—full of leftover food—into the kitchen to empty its contents. After putting all of the food away, he went back upstairs into his room, and looked at his cell phone.

_Damn it. Looks like it's about to die._

Renji hurriedly plugged his phone into the wall next to his bed, and soon, an icon popped up indicating that it was charging. Once he was settled under the covers, he began dialing.

-"_Hello?_"-

"Hey, Baachan."

-"_Oh, Renji! Hello, how are you, dear?"_ -

Renji smiled softly. "Fine. But, I had a favor to ask of you and Sofu**[1]**…"

-"_Of course, dear. What is it?"_ -

"Well… You remember I talked a bit to you about Byakuya?"

-_"Yes?"_-

"Well… I think I need to tell him about Seireitei." He heard his grandmother gasp. "Look, I think it's fair—and much safer—to just let him know what he's getting into with someone like me. Plus, he needs to know more about the history of his family. He knows how to handle a sword _damn_ well (sorry for the language, Baachan,) and he might even want to pick up where his clan left off."

Renji's grandmother was silent for a long, long time. He added, after some reflection, "I think we should also let Grimmjow's boyfriend, Ulquiorra, know about it—if Grimm wants to tell him, of course."

-"_Renji…_"- his grandmother sighed. -"_I hope you know what you're doing. I will consult with your Ojiisan about this, but if this at all compromises the safety of Seireitei and its inner workings, then we will have to force you to remain silent about this matter."-_

"Yes, Baachan, I know."

-"_Unless I tell you otherwise, bring yourself, Byakuya, and those other friends of yours if they wish to come, to the only base that is currently in disuse tomorrow at fourteen hundred_**[2]**_."-_ She couldn't tell him directly where to go on the phone, but her instructions were fairly easy to follow considering she told him to go to the only base that the Seireitei never actually used. He knew that one pretty well—it had often been a sanctuary for him during his later years of childhood.

"Got it, Baachan."

-"_Bye, Renji. Take care, now. Don't eat so much instant food, okay? If you don't have time to make home cooked meals, go home to your Okaasan_**[3]**_ and package up some of her food, alright?"_-

"Yes, Baachan, I know. Bye." **Click. **Renji had to grin at his grandmother. She could be such a scary yakuza lady sometimes, then the next second she could turn into an over-concerned grandmother.

He texted Grimmjow. He didn't know if he was still up or not, but Renji figured he'd see the text eventually.

-_hey grimm. um. how 2 go about this… well, r u up? i was gonna just tell ya but on 2nd thought this would b easier if u were up…-_

A couple of minutes later, Renji's phone vibrated.

_Little Boy Blue x_x_**[4]**_: _—_ey._ —

Renji rapidly texted him back. —_look, not2 get weird on ya or anything, but, how much do ya like ulquiorra?_ —

_Little Boy Blue x_x:_ —_…. alot….. y…?_—

—_look… i was thinking… i'm gonna tell bya about the gotei 13… and i told my Sobo already, so… I also told her i'd b askin u if u wanted to let ulquiorra know about it 2… cuz ya know… their safety n shit… plus i feel like bya should have a chance 2 say whether or not he wants 2 join, cuz in the past his clan was a big part of the gotei… & idk how you feel about that w/ ulquiorra… just wanted to let ya know u guys r invited 2 our little get together._ —

It was a long time before Renji got a text back. He had almost fallen asleep.

_Little Boy Blue x_x: _—_*sigh*… ugh. idk. i'm just… nervous. cuz of my family history._ —

Renji chewed on his bottom lip. He wasn't great at the comforting aspect of friendship, but he'd give it a go. —_i understand. but it's not like that anymore. ur 1 of us now. if u wanna come it'll b ok. my family, least, is fair & stuff… so, what do ya wanna do?_ —

_Little Boy Blue x_x: _—_...i'll give er a go. i'll let ulqui know, I'm textin him right now._ —

—_Come to the place that no one uses at fourteen hundred tomorrow. ok?_ —

_Little Boy Blue x_x: _—_aight_—

Renji turned his phone off and stared up into blackness. He wondered vaguely if he had told Grimmjow the truth, about everything being okay now, about no hard feelings. _Oh well._ Shrugging off troublesome thoughts like those, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Blinking rapidly in the pale yellow morning light, Renji sighed. His limbs were heavy with sleep, and he just wanted to snuggle under the covers and close his eyes once more. He turned his head, struggling to read the time on the digital alarm clock resting on his bedside table.

8:47.

Slowly, Renji brought his arms above his head, elongating his body in a fantastic stretch that caused him to simultaneously yawn and groan in pleasure. Sliding out of bed, he smoothly shed his clothing and dragged himself into the shower. Some of the water poured into his mouth as he gave another massive yawn. He could have cared less.

Stumbling—naked—down the stairs, he made it into the kitchen and began a batch of tea. He couldn't stand coffee. Tempted as he was to just crumple into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, he managed to pull himself back up the stairs to put some clothes on. Catching sight of himself in the full length mirror behind his door, he began to seriously consider getting those tattoos he had spoken of to Byakuya.

Images flashed through his head of the haunted compound. He shuddered. There was no way he was ever going back there again. _So creepy… not to mention depressing as hell..._

Thoughtlessly, Renji pulled on a white undershirt and Mario boxers. He reached blindly in a drawer for a light blue pair of pants and, seeing that they were indeed one of his looser pairs of skinny jeans, threw those on. Lastly he slipped into an orange short-sleeve button up, but didn't even bother to tuck it in, let alone actually button it up. He ran a brush through his hair, and put it up in his customary pony tail. He tied a white bandana with black detailing around his head, proudly signifying to others who were privy, that he was Seireitei.

A bit more awake now, but still quite sluggish, he grabbed his phone and shuffled back downstairs, padding softly into the kitchen, where some freshly brewed red tea awaited him. He sat down at the kitchen table and closed his eyes, breathing in the pleasantly strong scent. After taking a few delicate sips of the still scalding hot drink, he turned his phone on to check the messages.

There was a voice mail from his grandmother. She had called him much earlier this morning.

—"_About today, your Ojiisan has approved. I'm sorry, but I wire tapped into your texting. It was a necessary evil, dear. But, now we know that the Jeagerjaques boy is coming, along with someone named Ulquiorra Cifer, so we know what to expect. We are still waiting for you to ask your Byakuya. How impolite of you. Are you simply expecting him to be free today? You're such an inconsiderate boy. I know your Okaasan taught you better, Renji. Now go and ask him, right now!"_ —

Renji winced. _Oops._ He had just sort of assumed that Byakuya would be free today. He didn't even know if the guy was up yet; but knowing that busybody, he would have been up long before Renji. So, with the assumption that Byakuya was probably up, Renji sent a text message.

_—hey. u up?—_

Byakuya texted him back almost immediately.

_Kuchiki No. 1: _—_Of course I am, you moron. It is already almost 10:00._ —

_—well… r u free today?—_

_Kuchiki No. 1: _—_…Yes, why?_ —

Renji sipped his tea and sighed. _How to put this so that he doesn't freak out…_

_—well, when can u come 2 my place?—_

_Kuchiki No. 1: _—_Anytime._ —

_—ok… i need 2 talk 2 u bout somethin… it's y i wouldn't have sex with u the compound. get me?—_

_Kuchiki No. 1: _—_So… it's important?_ —

_—yeah… and can u please make sure ur not wearin blue and white 2gether? like, the dark kinda blue. If ur just wearin 1 of those colors it's fine.—_

_Kuchiki No. 1:_ —_Umm… Alright… You're strange._—

_—shut up :P there's a reason. but i can't tell u right now.—_

_Kuchiki No. 1: _—_Whatever. I'm coming over now._ —

Renji's heart skipped a beat, and suddenly he became a bit nervous.

_—ok… c u.—_

Replenishing his mug full of tea, he quickly began brewing some green tea for Byakuya. It was his favorite kind. Trotting back upstairs, he pulled on some socks and brought a pair of black low-top Converses out of his closet. Back downstairs, he dropped them by the door, where he debated if he should just leave it unlocked, or if he should make Byakuya knock. He went with the latter, deeming the former too… eager. Really, he was truly acting like a nervous school girl. It was disgusting. Renji scowled, plopping on the couch and throwing his feet onto the coffee table. He flicked on the TV and decided to simply wait there—calmly—until Byakuya arrived.

About a half hour later, someone knocked on the door. Renji's heart pounded. He was beyond nervous. _Stop being retarded. It's not like this is a date. Geez… What are you, a girl?... I wonder if I look okay… Shit! I don't think I brushed my teeth!_

Renji raced upstairs and hurriedly brushed his teeth. The person knocked on his door again. _Damn it…_ He rinsed his mouth and flew back down the stairs, two and three at a time. He almost barreled into the door, which he whipped open with a giant grin.

"Hey!"

Byakuya scowled. "What in the world were you doing?"

Renji laughed nervously (he didn't think it _sounded_ nervous) and pulled Byakuya inside. After shutting the door Renji wound an arm around his boyfriend's waist, pulling him in for a kiss. Renji felt any irritation the man may have felt towards him disappear as his body melted against his own. Byakuya wrapped his arms around Renji's neck, and just as the redhead was about to pull away, Byakuya deepened the kiss. Renji pressed him against the door, sliding his hands down his sides. He allowed Byakuya to explore his mouth for a short time, but the redhead soon took over, pushing Byakuya's tongue back into his own mouth. Gently yet passionately tasting his tongue, Renji's hands wandered to his boyfriend's ass. Byakuya gasped, breaking the kiss, but Renji went straight to attacking the smooth curve of his neck.

However, it hit Renji just then that they had to be somewhere in a few hours. And it happened to take a couple hours to get there.

"We should stop…" he murmured softly into Byakuya's ear.

Byakuya shuddered at the sensation of Renji's breath, but nodded.

Renji took his hand, smiling almost gently. He pulled him into the kitchen. "I made you tea. It's the green tea you like."

Byakuya blushed, and politely thanked Renji, who poured him a cup.

With both of them seated at the kitchen table, Byakuya spoke.

"So, what did you call me over to say?"

"Well…" Renji looked away, feeling uneasy. "Do you trust me?"

Byakuya immediately nodded. "Of course I do." He laid a delicate, pale hand on Renji's large tan one. Renji met Byakuya's eyes. They seemed to burn through him "Tell me. Please."

"Well… you have to come somewhere with me…"

"Where?"

"… I can't tell you…"

Byakuya glowered. "Why not?"

Renji winced. _He's getting annoyed… _"Because… Listen, it'll be explained when we get there, okay? I would tell you right now if I could, but I don't have the power to do something so frivolous…"

Now Byakuya looked confused, and he took his hand from Renji's. "I have to say I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know…" Renji sighed and glanced at his phone. "It's 11:43 right now, so we have about fifteen minutes before we should leave. Please just trust me."

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Renji hesitated to do this, but… "If it makes things better…" he tentatively began, "you can come up to my room, and I'll show you something… I have to get it out for today, anyway."

Byakuya nodded, and they both stood, Byakuya with his tea, to go upstairs.

At the threshold of his room, Renji turned to Byakuya. "You'll have to stay out here for a second."

Renji went inside, turned on the light and closed the door. He tapped the top center of his full-length mirror, then the bottom right corner, then the top left corner, then bottom center. Silently, the top of the mirror leaned out toward Renji, forcing him to move to the side. Slowly, the mirror flipped over, revealing a steel board in place of the mirror. Vertically attached to the board was a large, sheathed sword.

"You can come in." He called through the door.

The door creaked open rather slowly, and Byakuya crept inside. He seemed… not afraid, but rather uncertain—perhaps even suspicious. Renji put an arm around him.

"Come on. I'm showing you how much _I_ trust_ you_ right now."

Byakuya nodded, and entered the room fully. His gaze immediately locked onto the sword.

"What…?" Clearly, Byakuya was stunned.

Renji went over to the sword, gently removing it from the steel board. Turning to Byakuya, he held it horizontally, slowly unsheathing it.

"This," he said, almost affectionately, "is Zabimaru."

Byakuya's eyes widened, taking in Renji's prized possession. The metal gleamed dully in the florescent light, and it had an odd shape to it. Instead of being just a blade, at the top a prong stuck out from the sharp side of the blade. The sword gradually got smaller closer to the hilt, and there were three more prongs stemming from the sharp side of the blade, each one shorter than the last.

"It's older than either of our ages put together, but it's amazing. I love it." Renji whispered, almost becoming enraptured with the sword himself.

"Can I… Can I hold it? Just to feel the weight of it." Byakuya asked, his voice filled with awe.

"Sure. Be careful, though." He carefully handed the sword over to Byakuya.

"This is a lot heavier than my sword!" He was smiling, and that made Renji smile, too.

"Why are you so—I don't know—excited by my sword? You have one, and you've seen many as well…"

Byakuya shrugged, giving the sword back to Renji who sheathed it. "I don't know. I guess I just have a certain… affinity for swords."

"I know what you mean." Renji smirked, tapping the top of the steel board for it to go back into place as a mirror.

Byakuya gasped. "What is this?"

Renji shrugged, turning the light off and leaving the room with Zabimaru in hand. "Dunno." He replied mysteriously.

Damn, he felt smug.

He heard Byakuya make a noise of frustration behind him as they made their way down the stairs and Renji had to bite back laughter.

"We're gonna go now, okay?"

"Hn."

Renji grabbed his keys and his wallet off of the kitchen table, and sat down in front of the door with Byakuya to put his shoes on.

"Ready to go?" he helped the raven haired man up, pulling much harder than necessary so that Byakuya fell into Renji's chest.

"Yes, I am." A blushing Byakuya hotly replied, shoving Renji away.

The redhead just grinned. Outside, he locked the door. Slipping his hand into Byakuya's, they left for the abandoned Seireitei base.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) Sofu: ****_the humble way of referring to your own grandfather_**

**2) Fourteen Hundred: ****_This is the way most countries tell time, but I don't know if they actually say it with the hundred or what, cuz that sounds like military time to me cuz I'm an American :P So, dealing with yakuzas, we're gonna tell time like this. By the way, fourteen hundred means 2:00 pm._**

**3) Okaasan: ****_the respectful way of referring to someone else's mother_**

**4) Little Boy Blue x_x: ****_You know how some people put other (certain) people in their contacts, with retarded names. For example, one of my friends, Lindsey, is in my contacts as Pikachu 3 3 and another is in as Poptart when his name is Matthew. And there are stories behind these names... It's just something fun and stupid some people do. In this case, I'm just making fun of Grimm with his blue hair and stuff :P This is just sort of gonna be one of running gags in the fic._**

* * *

**I was gonna make this chapter longer, but then it got ****_too_**** long, and I just had to stop somewhere. So I chose this spot. Incidentally this means that I'm well along the way in the 2nd chapter XD But, I hope you enjoy this, and I'm sorry it came out so long after the original oneshot.**

**Please leave reviews! I love reviews!**

* * *

So. This chapter has been edited again. :D (16 April, 2013) I hope it's better/you like it/there aren't too many problems. lol I'll be going on and editing the other chapters, and I'll actually be posting a 3rd chapter soon since I've finished writing it. *sigh* A lot's been going on lately so it's been a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**_See disclaimer in chapter 1_**

**I'm so sorry that this took so long to get out. I would have gotten it out sooner, but I had the flu for an entire week, then I had to make up all that missing school work (I still have a chem test to take and this was about 3 weeks ago). Then I got caught up with my IB English test, which since I'm a senior, is the BIG test. Basically my final exam after 2 years of work. I also had a couple brain farts with this chapter, but time just didn't allow for that sort of thing and it put me behind when I was already behind. :/**

**Anyhow. I state names in the Japanese way (last name, first name), but some names aren't like this because maybe I don't want them to be Japanese, or maybe they are mixed.**

**I hope I characterized everyone okay. This is, for the most part, Renji's point of view, so some of the characterization is supposed to be a bit vague. (He's a simple guy - simple, not stupid. Just simple.)**

**Lastly, I didn't mention this in the 1st chapter, but all mistakes are my own, as I don't use a Beta.**

**_Replies to my 3 lovely reviewers:_**

**_pen-Aine: _****A lengthy review desires a lengthy response! :D Super glad you like this so much! And I haven't decided whether Ishida is a member of the Quincy gang or not... Or is he simply a hired out assassin? O.o Hmm let's think about that. XD And sorry, but of course Ichigo is in Seireitei XD I mean, he couldn't not be :P I won't say anything about the situatin between Ichigo and Rukia... And ya know what. I'm gonna challenge myself. I'll try to write a lemon, and just see how it turns out. The last one was rather childish and not something I'd like to talk about. XD But don't worry! lol I won't post shit on here! XD**

**_Pheonix09:_**** I'm sorry this chapter took so long lol But I hope you like this one as well :)**

**_Fuyublue:_**** More comin' at ya! ;D**

**Enjoy!**

**x~Snow~Storm~x**

* * *

Renji put his phone back into his pocket. It would be impossible to get a signal all the way out here.

"Okay, we're gonna be meetin' a couple of people up here pretty soon."

They had come far out into the country, into the Mie Prefecture. Byakuya glared at Renji, but the redhead just laughed. He could read his boyfriend's mind.

"I know it seems like we're in the middle of Bull Fuckin' Egypt, but you'd be surprised. Mount Ryozen isn't as empty as you'd think. But look." Renji pointed to the many other mountains in the area, covered by swaying greenery. "Isn't it beautiful?" he smiled happily.

Byakuya stopped to look. Slowly, something like a smile crept softly onto his face. "Yes…" he murmured, "It's very beautiful."

Renji smiled. Taking Byakuya's hand, he led him further up the mountain. There was a specific tree he was looking for. It was a very large Japanese cypress, and he could just see the top of it now.

"Come on!" He shouted at Byakuya. "I see it! Let's go!"

"Wait! What?"

Renji broke into a run, not bothering to see if Byakuya could keep up or not. He laughed loudly, thrusting his sheathed sword up into the air with the sheer exhilaration of running. He slowed once he turned a corner, seeing a shock of blue beneath the cypress.

"Hey!" Renji waved, wearing a slightly crazed grin.

Ulquiorra, who had been leaning back into Grimmjow's chest, jumped away like a frightened animal.

Grimmjow gave a feral grin, twirling his own sheathed sword like a baton. "Well, someone's excited 'bout somethin'."

Byakuya widened his stance slightly and raised his chin in a rather arrogant and snooty gesture. Somehow, Renji thought, those two motions didn't mix, and Renji was proved right when the raven spoke.

"What _is _all this?" Byakuya asked warily, eyeing Renji's bandana and another black and white bandana that was tied onto Grimmjow's belt loop—notwithstanding the swords they both carried.

Renji threw an arm around Byakuya's shoulder and glanced at Grimmjow. Renji knew he could feel his stare, but the blue-haired man was pretending not to notice while he took a cigarette from his back pocket. He popped it into his mouth, and held his hand over the lighter to shield the flame from the wind. Nonchalantly exhaling wreaths of blue grey smoke, Grimmjow glanced at Ulquiorra, and then at Renji.

He gestured vaguely, cancer stick in hand, at the general area underneath the tree. "Let's sit down for a sec." He suggested.

Comfortably seated under the cypress, no one spoke. In the silence, tension was rising. Ulquiorra shifted uncomfortably, his large, bright eyes nervously dancing around the group. Eventually, Grimmjow's blasé act broke. He sighed in frustration.

"Damn it, Renji! We can't do this…"

"Can't do what?" Renji shot back. "Can't date them? Huh? Is it fair to keep them in the dark about—"

"Man, shut the fuck up, already!" Grimmjow roared. After a moment and a few puffs on his cigarette, he said more calmly, "Let me start."

"Be my freakin' guest. But lemme say, on both mine and Grimmjow's behalf, if you don't like what yer hearing, there's nothin' keepin' ya here. We'll take ya home, no harm done."

Grimmjow sighed, quickly running a hand through his jagged hair. "Well, we're not really supposed to tell ya, so if ya do go in with us, pretend that you don't know. But, we're in a yakuza called Seireitei. It's been around since the samurai ruled feudal Japan. But back then it was called the Gotei 13."

"Why?" Ulquiorra asked, intrigued.

Grimmjow gave a short bark of laughter. "Ya just love history, don't ya, kid? Well, I'd tell ya, but then Renji here'd kill us all!"

Byakuya slowly turned to Renji with what he assumed was a look of horror. He didn't know, because Byakuya looked away almost immediately. He felt as though those eyes were accusing him of being a murderer. Renji rolled his eyes rather dramatically. _Stupid fuckin' bastard Grimmjow… I really might kill him!_

"He's fuckin' with you…" Renji growled irritably. _Even though he's probably serious…_

"Well anyway, what they did 'n how they did it's a secret unless yer a member. But during the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Gotei 13 was ordered to dissolve. But it never really did. It's just called Seireitei now, although it's nowhere near as powerful as it used to be. That's cuz—"

"Grimmjow." Renji growled.

"Hmm?" Grimmjow looked up from the enraptured Ulquiorra and Byakuya. He'd been quite caught up in telling his tale.

"You talk a lot, don't ya?" The redhead muttered. "We should be going. Oh, and before I forget, none of this business about partners or gay couples or whatever. It's a weakness in the eyes of the underworld. Ya get yerself shot for it… But my sobo is… she's my sobo! She's a yakuza wife, but she still spoils me… So… We can trust her to know." Renji stood, resting his cumbersome sword on his shoulder. "You guys comin', or are we bringin' ya home? 'Cause once we go in, there's no turning back."

Byakuya stood up and, for a moment, it seemed as though he was about to kiss Renji.

"You dirty bastard," he hissed. "You're telling me to choose between a life of crime or leaving you, the man I supposedly love. How fucking sick and twisted are you? I wonder... Just how much blood stains your hands?"

Renji narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Less than yers, if those monks tell the truth about people bein' reincarnated 'n shit. Lemme tell ya somethin', Kuchiki Byakuya. Every single generation of my family has worked with the status of lieutenant under a Kuchiki, who has the status of captain. That stopped at yer great-grandfather. But guess who called all the shots? Guess who did the tricky operations, like assassinations, that he didn't trust others to handle properly? That's right, _the captain_."

Renji turned sharply on his heel and headed for the base. He could feel tthe fury inside him coming to a boiling point. Byakuya followed him closely, but the proximity made Renji even angrier than he already was.

Sensing that the other two were a small ways back, Renji muttered, "Why are you still here? You should just run on home. You obviously can't handle this kinda thing."

Byakuya sighed heavily, and at length, he said with conviction, "No. I will follow you."

Renji snorted and rolled his eyes. _Quite a sudden change in attitude. _"Whatever. Just don't get cold feet and try to run off. You might really die if ya try that now…"

Trudging upwards, the foursome soon came across a large wooden building. It almost looked like a resort that was in disrepair. But then again, disrepair might be too nice of a word to describe the poor condition of the building. Many of the windows had been shattered, and there were even small round holes in the glass that was still intact. They looked as though they could have been from bullets. The wood was beginning to sag from not being taken care of properly. It was most likely infested with termites.

Renji placed his hand on the large, rotting door, and shoved it open. It did not make a sound. This house (or whatever it had been) was probably one of the first Western style buildings in the area. Within the building, it was very dim, with pale lemon light trickling in through the dirt covered windows; the occasional burst of white sunshine filtering in through a chip or hole. At the end of a long hallway was an arched entrance, where they crossed into a large room with a high ceiling. It was fairly dark, yet shadows were visible, moving about on the muted walls and corners. One man, however, was standing in the open, looking to greet them.

Renji and Grimmjow immediately stepped forward, leaving the other two behind them. They moved almost simultaneously, dropping onto their knees and pressing their foreheads into the damp, musty floor. They pushed their swords out in front of them, like a humble offering.

"Raise your heads."

The most eye catching thing about Renji's grandfather was his pristine white suit, coupled with shiny, white shoes. His dress shirt was a stark contrast—black as night—and laid under a tie that could have been made of liquid gold. His tanned face had been carved into with the wisdom of half a century, but this countenance had not always been able to avoid harm's way. A scar ran up and down the right side of his face, straight through one milk white eye, which had been rendered useless by the blow. The man had thick, wild, grey hair, which he had forced into submission in a pony tail. With hands shoved down into his jacket pockets, he casually strolled over to the two men before him, the heels of his polished shoes clacking imperiously with each step.

"Renji." He stated the name, as though instead of addressing someone, he was weighing it, rolling it around on his tongue like a new wine. "I see that you have made some friends outside of the family." The man nodded approvingly. "Good, this is good. It's nice to have connections with different people in different social circles." He was analyzing Byakuya and Ulquiorra, and murmured, as if talking to himself, "You chose good friends… Money will get ya places." But then, seeming to come back to the present situation, he addressed Renji again. "Ya really should come home more often, Renji. Yer mother worries, you know that. So does yer grandmother. Come back once in a while to show them yer doing well 'n eating properly."

"Sure, Ojiichan**[1]**."

"Renji!" Another male voice roared across the expanse of the room. Soon, Renji's own father came into the light. "Watch yer tongue!"

Renji just rolled his eyes. His father was in the usual: a black suit and golden tie, but the tie was loosened, the white dress shirt underneath the jacket was not tucked in, and the jacket was very much opened. A cigarette hung out of his mouth, and his muddy brown eyes were narrowed viciously.

Renji's grandfather scoffed. "You treat him like a child, Torao!"

Torao combed his fingers through his cropped, red hair. "No, Otousama**[2]**, you are simply too lenient with him. He's become a spoiled and headstrong son, and it irks me." The menacing message of his calm words hung in the air as Torao slowly made his way to his son. For a moment, he simply stood above the still kneeling young man. Renji wanted to flinch, but he didn't. Byakuya was watching him. Torao moved suddenly, seizing Renji's collar with both hands and hauling him up so that they were face to face. Renji could barely feel his toes on the floor. "You've been pushin' it lately," Torao hissed. "People aren't always gonna be around to back up yer yellow bellow. You step outta line one more time…" Torao let this sink into his son for a moment, before roughly shoving him onto his backside. "Kneel! You are before yer superior!" He spat.

Renji kneeled obediently. He would have rolled his eyes, but he didn't, fearing his father would have done something worse to him. Really, it was all just a show of power. There were people watching, people who were possibly new recruits. Torao needed to show them their place. Renji understood, really he did, but did it always have to be at _his_ expense? _Ah, well… Whatever._

"Let's have a little light." Renji's grandfather called. The electrical wires protested the energy running through them with a loud groan, but slowly, the lights flickered on with a dull hum.

Now everyone could be seen. There were three other people in the room, although one person remained seated in a corner, partially hidden in the remaining shadows. Renji's grandfather gestured for a very elderly man to come over. In addition to looking quite old, he was very pale, and his skin had the qualities of a crinkled piece of foil. Though thin, he did not give off the impression of being frail, as he made his way over with a dark, slick walking stick in one hand and an elegant, long-stemmed pipe resting in the other. His long, snow white hair hung in a low pony tail, and his wild, ice-blue eyes gave the impression that, at a glance, he was ripping your darkest secrets and lowest sins from the depths of your soul. He slowly shuffled over, yet he stood straight and stiff-backed in a sky blue suit. Underneath he had a crisp white shirt and a black tie. Just as soon as he was next to Renji's grandfather, he spat on the ground, no doubt shocking the ever so proper Byakuya, and probably Ulquiorra, too.

"It's gettin' harder to get around, these days," He grumbled.

Renji's grandfather patted the elderly man on the back. "Be grateful that yer still up and around at all at your age! Now," He turned an intimidating gaze upon the two men accompanying Renji and Grimmjow. "I'm afraid I didn't catch yer names…"

Byakuya stepped forward and dipped into a low, graceful bow. "Kuchiki Byakuya, at your service, sir."

The man nodded. "Hmm. Byakuya, eh?"

Ulquiorra did the same, coming forward and bowing low. "Ulquiorra Cifer, sir."

"Hey!" the elderly man shouted. "I remember when—"

"Now, now. That can wait. I'm afraid we have been rude, and have not introduced ourselves yet." Renji's grandfather was now completely ignoring the other two boys at his feet. "I am Abarai Ryuuma, and this is—"

"Kazemaru Jaegerjaques, that brat's great-grandfather!" The old man butt in, indicating with a jerk of his head the bluenette at his feet. "I'm the unwilling counterpart of this here scoundrel Ryuuma. His oyaji**[3]** was my greatest enemy, and annexed our family business fer money 'n power!"

"Ojiichan, quit it with the sob story. No one cares anymore." Grimmjow muttered.

"Nobody cares! Why, when I was yer age, I—"

"Well!" Ryuuma interrupted with a booming voice. "Let's get down to business, shall we? Renji, Grimmjow, why don't ya go into the kitchen and help the women prepare lunch?"

"There's food in this old dump?" Renji raised a suspicious eye brow.

"Just move yer ass Renji." Ryuuma growled.

Torao was shooting daggers at the kneeling red head, so Renji figured he really should leave or risk some sort of bodily harm. He took one last look at Byakuya. The raven's eyes did not even flicker in his direction.

_He's probably still pissed at me…_

Feeling his nerves coil tighter in his stomach, Renji turned and slowly followed Grimmjow through a door that had been nearly hidden from view.

* * *

Aside from the two elderly men in the room, there were only two other people. One disinterestedly leaned against the wall, arms crossed with a cigarette hanging between his fingers. Byakuya assumed that he was Grimmjow's father. They didn't look alike, but their body had the same lean, dangerous look. It was as though they were utterly relaxed and indifferent, but at the same time they were secretly being quite attentive— almost like they were poised to strike. His sharp, cruel facial features also resembled Grimmjow's. But with his shoulder length chestnut hair and messy fringe shoved out of his hazel green eyes, a stranger would never see the resemblance. His outfit echoed Kazemaru's, but it was much more casual. He wore a pale blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled, and a white tie. This was coupled with black dress pants and meticulously shined dress shoes. Byakuya wondered with an increasingly intense curiosity whether these outfits had any meaning.

"Takeshi, my boy, why don't you come here!" Kazemaru called to the man. "We'll soon be goin' in fer lunch. We just needa take care of some things first."

Muttering audible curses, the man—Takeshi, as he was called—killed his cancer stick before casually making for the group of four men. He walked with a laid-back, accidental swagger that gave him the appearance of a wild animal—a large cat, actually. It seemed he was almost lethargic, but one wrong move…

The other man's identity remained a mystery, as he sat quiet and still in that dim corner of the room. But Ryuuma had turned to look at him. The man shifted just enough that it was noticeable—probably out of discomfort.

"Why don't you also come into the light, my friend?" It certainly didn't sound as though they were friends at all.

The person slowly rose and stepped out of the shadows. He had cropped black hair, making his white, unblemished skin seem even paler. Within his deep, black eyes was arrogance and slight irritation. Adorning his body was a crisp white dress shirt and a black tie, paired with black dress pants and (quite obviously) professionally shined shoes. He huffed, not quite scowling but almost. He ran a slim, manicured hand through his hair and crossed his arms, a thin eyebrow arching expectantly.

Byakuya couldn't prevent the surprised gasp that passed his lips. "Otousan?!**[4]**"

His father shot him an icy glare. "Hold your tongue." He murmured.

"This," said Ryuuma, gesturing toward Byakuya's father, "is Kuchiki Sojun."

Sojun nodded at the two Jaegerjaques men in place of bowing. Nodding was as respectful and humble as this man would get. Needless to say, he completely ignored his son and Ulquiorra.

"Sojun's father, Kuchiki Ginrei, wished to keep himself and his descendants out of Seireitei. This was Ginrei's father's dying wish, was it not?"

"However," Sojun interrupted, "just in case history ever came back to haunt us, we continued practicing swordsmanship, handling firearms and learning hand-to-hand combat. It's really no surprise that a man with the name of Abarai would be the one to drag my son back into this."

Ryuuma chuckled; though it was evident he was simply putting on airs. "Well, anyway, since we have not heard from—er—what was the name?"

"Ulquiorra, sir."

"Yes, right. Since we haven't gotten much outta you, yet, answer this: can you fight?"

Ulquiorra tilted his head a bit, and his bright green eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Doesn't matter!" An impatient Kazemaru bit out, slamming his cane onto the floor. "Just answer the question!"

Ulquiorra rested one hand on his hip and closed his eyes. Byakuya knew he was struggling not to let his irritation show. Thank the gods he had so much patience. "Yes," he finally replied, his tone bordering on the edge of arrogance. "I can fight."

"Alright, but what can ya do, hmm?" Kazemaru growled, taking the little interrogation upon himself. "What good're ya in a fight?"

Ulquiorra shrugged, putting on a laid back appearance. "I don't know what good I'd be. I can do a lot of things… I suppose you could call me… a jack of all trades when it comes to fighting." Realizing by the look Kazemaru gave him that Ulquiorra couldn't answer his question like this, he continued with a sigh, and probably, Byakuya surmised, felt rather put upon by having to answer in full detail. "I excel in hand-to-hand combat. I can utilize any firearm you give me, although my real skill lies in sniping. And I am very good with a sword. That is all."

Ryuuma nodded, but Kazemaru snorted.

"We'll see how those skills play into a real fight…"

Byakuya rolled his eyes._ No idiot could lie about his skills to a yakuza boss unless he wanted to die…_

"What about you, Kuchiki boy?" Kazemaru wheedled.

The raven haired man sighed. "I am essentially the same as Ulquiorra, except that when it comes to firearms I'm better with handguns and rifles. Also, I can double wield when necessary."

Ryuuma nodded again. "Well, this is all I wanted to know. Let's get goin' to lunch. After yer food settles, we'll see what you've got, hmm?"

With this, they were ushered into the door that Renji and Grimmjow had disappeared into. And just as well, too; Byakuya's stomach was churning with hunger.

* * *

Renji stared at his lunch with an expression akin to contempt. He felt uneasy, and it unsettled his stomach. How good of a fighter was Byakuya? How confident should someone like Renji—who'd been fighting for his life since he was born—be in someone who'd most likely lived a pampered life of luxury? What if Byakuya wasn't good enough? _Damn it,_ he thought, his anxiety rising, _I should have assessed his skills before we came here…_

The door at the end of the room creaked open. Renji eagerly looked up from the bowl of ramen in front of him to see Byakuya glide gracefully inside, with Ulquiorra at his heels. Others walked in after him, but Byakuya was all Renji saw. Those dark eyes did not even deign to glance in his direction. Renji sighed, carefully picking out a spiral fishcake from the sea of noodles. He was already sitting across from Grimmjow. Byakuya slid into a seat on Grimmjow's left, and Ulquiorra sat on his right. At Renji's sigh of frustration, a blue eyebrow was raised suspiciously.

"So, uh." Renji cleared his throat awkwardly, sipping some water for moral support. "This is my mother, and uh, Kaasan**[5]**, this is Byakuya."

A slim, delicate looking woman with golden brown hair fixed in a messy bun stepped up to Byakuya. She handed him a bowl of ramen and some water. She wore a sleeveless black dress that came down about 3 inches below her bottom, and that seemed to cling to her like paint. Renji couldn't understand how his mother could work in that sort of thing, let alone those horrifying stiletto boots. Her décolleté had a snake that wrapped around to the front from the back, and her shapely upper arms were also fully tattooed.

"Hello," she smiled sweetly at Byakuya. "I am Abarai Yuka. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Hello, ma'am." He murmured, along with a quiet thank you.

"Neesan**[6]**," Grimmjow interjected. "This is Ulquiorra Cifer."

"I am also pleased to meet you." Yuka smiled genially at him as well.

Ulquiorra nodded, muttering something that sounded like hello, and Yuka placed a bowl of ramen in front of him as well.

After his mother left, Renji scooted down the table a bit so that he was in front of Byakuya.

"Hey." He muttered, glancing up at the other man like a chastised puppy. "Are you mad at me?"

Byakuya didn't respond.

"Hey. Seriously."

No response.

Renji growled in frustration. "Stop being such a little bastard!" he hissed. "Ya didn't have to come with us! You had every opportunity to leave once you knew what was goin' on! No one was forcing ya—"

He was silenced by the venom in his boyfriend's eyes, which had darted up very suddenly to regard the redhead. It was such a fearfully cold gaze, Renji could swear the temperature of the room was dropping.

"I realize." Byakuya finally replied tonelessly. He took another mouthful of ramen before dabbing elegantly at his lips with a napkin. "We will discuss this later."

"No!" Renji almost shouted. The heat rose to his face as he felt everyone's eyes suddenly on him. "I mean, is this really what you want?"

Byakuya shrugged. "I suppose it is, and even if it isn't, it is too late to be uncertain now."

Renji nodded meekly and shut his mouth. If Byakuya changed his mind now, he would die. Maybe not right now, but it was Saturday. He wouldn't make it to Tuesday, of that much Renji was certain.

"Wonderful ramen, girls! Oh, 'n this tea is exquisite!" Ryuuma boomed. "But ya know, us men woulda preferred sake…"

"No sake for you!" An old woman spat. "You know ya have to watch yer alcohol intake."

Ryuuma let out a defeated sigh. "Yes, dear… Ah!" he exclaimed, as though he were just realizing something. "Boys, this is my woman."

"Hi, there, kids. My name's Abarai Katsumi. Make yerselves at home." She smiled warmly, like any normal grandmother would when meeting her grandson's friends, before returning her glare back to Ryuuma.

"Thank you, ma'am." Byakuya replied.

"So." Ryuuma suddenly prompted at Byakuya and Ulquiorra. "Do either of you know a man by the name of Ichimaru Gin?"

The two men in question exchanged glances across Grimmjow.

"No, sir, I'm sorry, but I don't think we do. I can't even say that I've heard the name." Byakuya returned, speaking for the both of them.

"Torao, hand them the picture."

"Yes, sir."

Torao stood and walked over behind Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. He carelessly flung a small, wallet sized photo onto the table so both men on either side of the bluenette could see it.

"This man," said Ryuuma in a graver tone, "is, as you could now probably deduce, Ichimaru Gin."

Byakuya leaned over, peering closely at the picture with a look of concentration. Ulquiorra stared at it apathetically. It was a pale man with cropped, white hair and cruel looking eyes. Byakuya blinked. Renji could see his mind working.

"Actually…" He began. "I think he used to go to my high school…" He shook his head. "I haven't seen him for maybe… seven odd years, though. Although, I'm not sure…"

Ulquiorra shook his head. "I've never seen him before. But I didn't go to the same high school as Byakuya."

Ryuuma nodded. "That is just as well. Thank you boys!"

Renji caught Ulquiorra shooting a questioning look at Byakuya, who simply shrugged and went back to eating. Seeing that everyone else had gone back to their lunches, Renji leaned forward towards Grimmjow. But what he had to say was for Ulquiorra and Byakuya.

"It's normal that Ojiichan would ask you guys about that snake." Renji whispered. "He was born into our family, but he betrayed us when he was twelve. Granted, he wasn't old enough to actually be a full-fledged member of Seireitei. But in addition to confessing to his actual crimes, he confessed to thought-out treason. He escaped. No one knows how. You could basically say he has a price on his head. Except, it's tough cuz now he's one of the top members of Quincy." He sighed. "That's all I can say fer now, but that's why that old geezer was askin'."

Byakuya bit his lip thoughtfully. Renji wondered briefly what was on his mind, but the ever silent Ulquiorra interrupted his thoughts.

"Were you ever close?" he asked softly.

"Hell no!" Renji's eyes widened with disgust. "Not with that creep!"

Grimmjow laughed. "Exactly! That guy…" his expression almost managed to take on a serious quality for a moment. "He has no soul."

Byakuya arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well," Grimmjow exchanged a somber look with Renji. "His smile…" He began, with visible difficulty. "He smiles all the time. But always… His eyes are always empty. Except when he's torturing someone…"

Takeshi very suddenly sat down next to Renji.

"What do you want?" Grimmjow muttered.

Takeshi shrugged, clearly not bothered by his son's disrespect. "Get ready soon."

"Fer what?"

"Fer a fight." Apparently thinking he had said enough, Takeshi casually took his leave of the young men to finish his lunch.

* * *

"Sojun." The commanding quality of Ryuuma's speech turned everyone's heads.

"Hm?"

Renji was honestly amazed at how this man was able to keep his arrogant composure under Ryuuma's demeaning and almost hostile gaze.

"What sword does your son practice with?"

The regal Kuchiki shrugged and replied airily, "Whichever he fancies at the moment."

"Bah!" Kazemaru spat. "Where is the consistency in that? Where is the tradition? Where is the love for the sword?"

"Now, now, Kazemaru…" Ryuuma apparently tried to sound placating. "By any chance…" he continued, looking at Sojun, "Do you, by any chance, know the location of the sword called Senbonzakura?"

"Ex-Excuse me?" Sojun spluttered, losing all of his previous poise. "That thing died with our ancestor, Kuchiki Byakuya! I'm sure you, as an Abarai, know this…"

"Ah, but I, as an Abarai, also know that _my_ ancestor, Abarai Renji, would never have left his beloved captain's faithful sword to rust and rot away on the bloody battlefield."

"I'll find it." Byakuya blurted, surprising everyone. Even he looked somewhat dumbfounded at his own outburst. A pregnant silence filled the room as everyone gaped dubiously at the quickly reddening man.

Finally, Ryuuma broke the silence. "Come again, boy?"

Renji cringed inwardly. _This guy just suddenly says something like this… He's not thinking at all! I bet the pressure of this situation is getting to him… This idiot… Shit… He's fumbling… He's fumbling!_

"I-I'll-I'll find it." He said again. _Although he probably only said it again for the sake of being consistent… He's too damn prideful to take important words like those back on a whim… _"I-This is… I wouldn't normally say something so rash, but… I just… I have a feeling. This sword… I'll find it. I just know that I will. It's like… I feel like it's inevitable." He flushed a bit, but didn't break Ryuuma's gaze. Renji was secretly very proud of him. "I realize just how incredibly foolish this sounds, but—"

"No." Kazemaru injected firmly. "No, it is perfectly clear—to me, at least—what you are trying to say." With a glare to Sojun, he added, "Those of us with a true love for the sword understand your meaning perfectly."

Byakuya flushed a pale pink. He didn't appreciate so much attention turned on him for so long. _But he brought it on himself…_

"Anyhow, moving on…" Ryuuma now drew the attention back to himself. "Let us now test these abilities you say you have." He gave a dangerous smirk. "You could think of it as an initiation of sorts. Let us return to the ball room."

The redhead had to roll his eyes. _Ball room? _He made a face at that dingy, disgusting room with the high ceiling, being called a _ball room_.

The men all followed Ryuuma into the spacious room, but he stopped just outside the door.

"Hey, girls!" he called back into the dining area. "Come out when you can! You can watch this if you'd like." Letting the door swing shut behind him, he followed the others into the center of the room.

"Takeshi, Torao, bring over the goods, please. Everyone except for Renji, Grimmjow, Byakuya and… er…"

"Ulquiorra, sir." He bit out irritably.

"Yes, yes. Everyone but these four will eventually be standing at the perimeter of the room."

Takeshi and Torao dragged out two large, long, black wooden boxes. Renji had seen them before. The lids were kicked off of them in the midst of the four young men, and what was inside provoked expressions of awe from all, even from the stoic Ulquiorra. Renji sighed, meeting the unusually level gaze of Grimmjow.

The redhead turned a sidelong gaze onto his grandfather. He appeared to be experiencing some sort of unholy pleasure from pitting friends against each other. Ryuuma grinned, and Renji shuddered. _Reminds me of the snake…_

"Choose your weapon."

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) Ojiichan - ****_grandpa, gramps; In this case, Renji was referring to his grandpa as "Gramps", which is very casual and informal. Definitely not "respectful" in terms of the situation that he's in right now._**

**2) Outousama - ****_father (-sama makes it respectful and it makes the father important)_**

**3) oyaji - ****_Old man, like_****_father_**

**4) Otousan - ****_father_**

**5) Kaasan - ****_mom_**

**6) neesan - ****_means big sister, but it's used in yakuzas to refer to the women. To clarify something, although these characters are referring to their biological family members as such, their loyalty is really to the yakuza. They would follow orders even if it meant killing their own mother, basically. The yakuza itself is a family. So it can get a bit complicated, I suppose._**

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this, even though it took a little over a month to get out (I'm counting from the time I posted chapter 3 of my SasuNaru fic, which is when I started this chapter 2). Tell me what you think about the characters. Also, I would have made it longer, but unfortunately time didn't allow and I would have felt rushed.**

**Please remember to check my profile every so often, as I post updates on my stories on there in terms of where I am on each chapter. This fic will now be going on a temporary hiatus while I work on chapter 4 of my SasuNaru fic, and will be taken off of hiatus when that chapter is posted, because at that point I will be ready to begin chapter 3 on this Bleach fic. :)**

**Please review! I really appreciate reviews!**

* * *

(20 June, 2013) I edited this chapter again. Weeee! I hope it's satisfactory! I'm going through and doing this for all of my fics... You can check out My profile to see everything that I'm doing! It's really organized! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**_See disclaimer in chapter 1_**

**This took way too long to get out... I'm really sorry about that. And I should have gotten it out sooner, considering the length of this chapter, huh? I could tell you how busy I've been, but I wont waste your time with that. Instead, I'll tell you that rather than going straight to the next chapter of my Naruto fic, I've got another chapter of _Rules of the Game _already written up for you guys to make up for not posting in a while. Keep in mind finals are happening, I've just gotten a job, and I'm trying to work out some kinks with my college that I'll be going to in the fall. Plus, I've got 2-3 side project I'm working on (this fic and my Naruto fic are my main ones). Please try hard to be patient, because I will update no matter what!**

**I didn't get any reviews for chapter 2! Sadface :(**

**Enjoy!**

**x~Snow~Storm~x**

* * *

"Wait, wait." Grimmjow muttered, shaking his head. "Explain. How is this going to be set up?"

Ryuma clasped his hands together and positioned himself in front of the four. "I suppose I should tell you, shouldn't I?" he smiled humorlessly. "You four will be going at each other all at once. You may have a knife, a long range weapon and a close range weapon. No firearms are to be used. Although I expect you all to fight with the intent to kill, I also expect that none of you will actually die in this process."

Renji and Grimmjow, without hesitation, chose to use their own swords. Ulquiorra and Byakuya followed suite, choosing swords for themselves out of one of the boxes in front of them. Then they moved to the next box. Renji carefully pawed through it with the others, attempting not to cut himself on any exposed redhead already had a knife in his pocket, so he grabbed a duel bladed kusarigama**[1]**, and stepped back from the others. At this point in time, Ryuma had already left to join the women and Kazemaru on the sidelines. One by one, the other three stepped back from the boxes, and Takeshi and Torao each grabbed one and dragged them away.

"Prepare yourselves." Ryuma murmured.

The room became silent except for the rustling of Grimmjow's shirt falling to the floor. The sight of that beautiful, proud, stalking panther on his back enraged Renji. The redhead could feel his face flushing bright with indignity. The reason he had been thinking about tattoos lately was that it was high time he got his own. He was suddenly extremely thankful that Byakuya didn't know the reasons behind Grimmjow's tattoos.

"Ready… Go!"

There was a blur of movement as sword clashed against sword. Ulquiorra's eyes bore into Renji's. It was scary. Those eyes were so… empty. There was absolutely nothing there. A shiver went down Renji's spine, and Ulquiorra obviously thought he saw an opening.

_Not today, emo kid._

Renji pushed back with violent force. He feinted away and dove quickly into the small opening he'd created. But Ulquiorra stopped him. Renji had managed to drive his sword into the other's body, but Ulquiorra wasn't letting him get any further. He wasn't even letting him get away, for that matter.

"Tch!"

Renji dropped his sword and drew his kusarigama. He threw one at Ulquiorra, wrapping the man's sword in his chain. The sickle on the free end made a small scratch on the raven's cheek as it flew through the air. Then Renji went in for the kill. He dove in with his other sickle, but Ulquiorra kicked him in the stomach. Renji took it, and kept going, digging the blade into Ulquiorra's pale chest. _Shit! I can't kill him! _Realizing he really _was_ going for the kill, he dragged the sickle down so that it wouldn't impale the body. Ulquiorra groaned, but he bit his lip in an attempt to silence himself.

"Ulquiorra is out!" Ryuma called. "Oh—and Grimmjow, as well?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Renji turned to Byakuya. He was still a bit winded from that kick. _Damn, that skinny little emo boy's got fight in him. Honestly… I know I can beat Grimmjow, but I don't think he could've beaten that kid. He was pretty good._

Byakuya's eyes were enough to make Renji jump. Not only was his face lightly spattered in blood, but his eyes were cold and calculating, as though he were slowly and meticulously working out a long and difficult math problem.

"Pick up your sword." He uttered in monotone.

Renji did as he was told. Suddenly, this was not Byakuya. This was… someone else. This presence was… heavy, crushing. He wasn't sure that he could—_No. I can't be thinking like this. Of course Byakuya's never been in a real fight, so how could I lose? I bet Ichigo wouldn't lose against this guy… Tch. That freakin' strawberry's always tellin' me I think too much._

"You do not seem to have the same killing intent that you had before." Byakuya hissed. "Why do you hesitate?"

_… He's mocking me. __This fucker…!_

His temper was short as it was. Renji cracked. "You asshole!" he roared. "Who the fuck do ya think yer talkin' to?!"

Byakuya stood firm as Renji raced toward him in a fury. Byakuya parried his violent blow with graceful ease, and now Renji was on the defensive. But somehow, Renji couldn't help but think that, with that bored expression, Byakuya was just playing with him.

"You're sloppy." Byakuya hissed. "You're letting your emotions interfere. The only thing you should be feeling is killing intent. Your head should be clear, otherwise."

"Shut up!" Renji yelled angrily. "Don't talk as though yer above me!"

This brought a smirk to Byakuya's lips. Renji knew he was probably playing right into Byakuya's hands, but he couldn't help it. He was becoming more enraged by the second.

"This is a waste of my time. Just fall, already." Byakuya muttered.

"Why the fuck would I?"

Byakuya's eyes widened in his first real show of emotion. "Because you're bleeding, you idiot! I would think you would have passed out by now!"

They paused in exchanging blows, stopping just outside of each other's range. Renji looked down at himself.

"Oh." He said, shrugging nonchalantly. "So I am."

Renji was covered in blood. He had a gash in one of his arms, and his head was bleeding somewhere, although that may not have been too deep, because head wounds always seem to bleed a lot. He hadn't been stabbed anywhere, yet, but he had a nice cut along his left side.

_… Well I'll be damned._

He threw a cocky grin to Byakuya. "Pain is _all_ in the mind. Ya might not be able to will away wounds, but you can will away pain."

Byakuya was also injured. But not badly, not badly at all. _Shit. Am I that weak?…_

"You won't give up, then?" Byakuya asked, somewhat wearily.

"Hell, no!"

Byakuya sighed. Then he lunged at Renji, and before Renji could even register it, he was pinned to the ground with a blade cutting into his throat. _So… fast…_ His heart hammered in his chest. _I really… He could really kill me…!_

"The outcome of this was decided from the start, don't you think?" Byakuya murmured as Ryuma declared the winner of the fight. "It was decided when my ancestors were ranked above you in the Gotei 13, and this is how it will always be. I'm not sure why you expected any different…" Byakuya was glaring darkly from above Renji. Yet, he still managed to maintain an air of regality. "But wait, it's because of how I've been acting lately, isn't it? I suppose I've lowered myself… I look weak to you. Well. Now you know this is not the case." Byakuya stood up slowly, wiping the blood off of his borrowed sword.

Renji stayed there on the ground, letting various people, mostly women, pass him to go to the kitchen. It was time for them to help the injured; aka, the three of them, excluding Byakuya. His mother spared him a pitying glance, and for that, he could have ripped out her eyes.

But, no. All he wanted to do was to punch that arrogant bastard in the face. The thing was, he couldn't bring himself to look at him now.

* * *

"I deem Ulquiorra and Byakuya worthy of accepting into the Gotei 13!" Ryuma boomed. "Though, I must consult with… another source before it is official. You will most likely receive some form of contact from us within the month."

The four men were sitting around the ball room, most of them allowing women to bandage their wounds. No one looked at each other. Byakuya was unattended—he had mended his own wound. The only one he had received was from Renji, and it was not serious.

Renji couldn't face him.

Ryuma had turned to leave the room, but he stopped when Torao suddenly prostrated himself on the ground in front him. "Otousama! Please forgive your foolish grandson for his weakness! He has brought dishonor on us… Please forgive me, as well! I blame myself for not training him hard enough! Please forgive—"

"Silence, Torao." Ryuma muttered coldly. "Renji will get stronger. Have faith in the boy. It should be enough for you that your son was still standing after receiving wounds like that. Really, he should've been hospitalized. But of course, that's impossible." With that, Ryuma went into the kitchen.

Renji stood abruptly. He felt the eyes in the room subtly shift to look at him, but he did not look back. He turned swiftly to leave.

"Renji—!" his mother called out to him, but stopped at the sound of a loud thud, and something that sounded like a person falling to the floor.

Renji sighed. Takeshi had hit Grimmjow again. He hoped that Grimmjow's jaw wasn't broken, _again_.

A hand was on Renji's shoulder.

"What?" he hissed sharply, but his expression softened when he turned and saw Yuka's concerned expression.

"Renji…" she rubbed his shoulder in a soothing manner. "You're not a disappointment. Please don't think badly of yourself..."

Renji scoffed, gently pushing his mother away from him. "Saying that kind of thing isn't going to help my state of mind right now, kaasan. But thanks." With that, he left.

* * *

Grimmjow watched as Renji left the ballroom and decided to follow suit. When he stood, a sudden impact on his face caused him to go flying. Blinking uncertainly, his vision cleared and he gazed up into the irate eyes of his father. _Shit._

"You're weak!" Takeshi spat at him. "Disgustingly weak. Get out of here. None of us want to see anything as pathetic as you."

"Actually… wait, Grimmjow." Ryuma had come back from the kitchen with a cup of sake. "Takeshi,"

"Yes sir?"

"Do you train your son hard?"

"Yes sir! Of course!" Takeshi replied indignantly.

"Then why, Takeshi, did Grimmjow, here, lose to a boy who has never fought in a real life-or-death battle, nor in a battle to protect his honor? Why did this newcomer win, and Grimmjow lose?"

Takeshi opened his mouth as if to reply, but he shut it quickly. Grimmjow could easily see in Takeshi's eyes that he was panicking. The elderly Kazemaru also shifted around uncomfortably. But maybe it was just because he was old. _Keh. He probably can't hear what's going on from over there._

"Surely it was no error on your part," Ryuma assumed with a dark look at Takeshi.

Takeshi didn't reply.

"If it is no fault of your own, then your stupid son must not be a very good student." Ryuma reasoned with mock civility. "If this is so, then why don't you come over here, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow did as he was told, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Takeshi looked like he desperately wanted to say something. His face was turning pink.

"Kneel, boy."

Grimmjow kneeled. His stomach did a sort of flip that landed in his feet when he realized that Ulquiorra would see this.

"Now, I always carry these things on me in case something like this ever happens." Ryuma shuffled around in the folds of his clothing. "Ahh. Here they are!"

Soon Grimmjow's hands were tied with a rope that tore at his wrists. The rope was hammered into place with a large, iron nail so that his hands were not only tied together, but they were pinned to the rough, wooden floor in front of the blunette. Grimmjow closed his eyes, trying to will himself into another place. But he couldn't stop the terror that shot through him when he heard the _whoosh_ of the whip, just before it struck his back.

"Augh—mmfph!"

Ryuma waited a moment.

Then he struck again.

"Hnnng!"

Grimmjow's lip was bleeding now, he was biting it so hard.

This pattern of whip-pause-whip-pause continued for a moment until Ryuma said, "Ah… This is hurting my own back!" he laughed heartily. "Why don't you continue, Takeshi?"

Grimmjow heard a quiet, almost silent intake of breath from his father. _Idiot. If I could hear that sign of weakness from down here, then so could Ryuma who's right next to you…_

"Careful not to bite yer tongue." Takeshi muttered.

Takeshi did it much more quickly than Ryuma had done. Nonetheless, Grimmjow was quickly slipping into unconsciousness. He had already lost enough blood beforehand, during his short fight with Byakuya. Just before he passed out completely, he thought with satisfaction, _It's a damn good thing that I texted Ichigo before this… At least he'll be expectin' me._

* * *

He couldn't believe it.

Renji looked down at the sheathed Zabimaru, and leaned backward to look up at the sky. It was quiet up here on the roof. He could think clearly here.

If he couldn't beat some newb, did Renji really deserve those tattoos? They were a sign of pride, strength and honor as a man—no, not just as a man, as a powerful member of the Gotei 13! And he had been shot down like nothing! Renji looked at Zabimaru again. _I honestly don't deserve that sword…_

What's more, adding salt to the wound, Renji had not lost against just any newb, but against his _boyfriend_. What the fuck was that, anyway? Renji was in the eleventh division for a reason! He was a fighter! He was just one seat below the vice-captain! He was _that_ strong!

_Damn it…_

How could someone who has never fought for their life before, in even the basest manner (let alone in a swordfight), defeat him? It was infuriating.

"Renji?" It was his mother. "Where are you?"

"Up here, kaasan." He called, perching himself up on his elbows.

"Oh, Renji I was looking for you. I was worried you'd left." When Renji didn't say anything, Yuka asked, "Can I come up there?"

Renji sighed. "I can't stop you."

He heard Yuka climb up the side of the building, and soon she was next to him. For a while, they simply laid next to each other in silence, gazing up at the night sky. Renji could see so many more stars out here than back at home in the city. It was one of the things that he enjoyed about this shady old place.

Yuka sighed. "Renji," she said at length. "Your father and I didn't bring you up coddling and babying you. I might be different, but, like any decent mother, I _do_ worry about you." She fell quiet, perhaps expecting Renji to say something. When he didn't, she continued. "I know that this loss today was a blow to you. Although your father is upset about it, I know you and I know that you're much more upset. You know your father cares for you in his own way. That's why he apologized for you and for us right away. He didn't want you to be severely punished. But… he desperately wants to uphold the honor of the Abarai clan as well, and sometimes these two interests just don't mesh."

"How dare Byakuya just come in and fucking beat me like that! How the fuck does that even happen! I have been training so hard my entire life just so shit like this _doesn't fucking happen_! To think, earlier I'd been thinking about what kindsa tattoos I should be getting…"

"No, Renji…" Yuka said. "I think that you can and will get stronger. I agree that you don't even have the right to speak of receiving tattoos right now. But I want you to come back down and apologize yourself to your father, and your grandfather, and tell them that you'll try harder."

At length, Renji replied, "… Yes, ma'am…"

Renji's hands felt damp and clammy as he climbed down the side of the building. He was a bit lightheaded. He knew something was coming. The second he stepped into the foyer, all talk ceased. Everyone that he could see was illuminated in the light of the fireplace, and they all stopped to look at him. Renji took a breath to steady himself, then moved to where Torao and Ryuma were standing. He fell to his knees, forehead to the floor.

"Otousama, I am sorry for my loss this night. I will renounce my position as third seat of the eleventh squad if you wish. However I will work harder to become stronger. I will not dishonor my family again. I will prove to you that you can count on me in the future."

The room was silent. Renji wasn't sure if Byakuya was there, and he didn't really want to know. This was humiliating.

"Rise." Ryuma's grave voice commanded. "I will not go so far as to strip you of your title, or your position… However, Torao,"

Torao stepped forward. "Renji…" He called his son's name quietly, and held out his hands. "Hand over Zabimaru."

Ryuma's eyes went wide. "Zabimaru?" he exclaimed.

Torao's expression hardened dangerously. Renji handed his pride and joy over without a struggle, but inside he could feel something crack.

"You'll get it back when your mother and I deem you fit to wield a sword like Zabimaru."

Renji lowered his eyes, and he could do nothing to stop his face from darkening with shame. "Yes, sir."

At that moment, Renji wanted nothing more than to escape.

* * *

The cots were musty and moldy, and they smelled funny. Byakuya grimaced, reluctantly laying his head down onto the hard, flat pillow. He shut his eyes tightly, thinking back on what he'd said earlier that day.

_"I'm not sure why you expected any different…"_

The look on Renji's face was… was it anger? Or something else? It was an expression that he'd never seen the redhead wear, and he couldn't quite place it.

_"I suppose I've lowered myself… I look weak to you." _Byakuya sighed into the darkness. He didn't want to think of the expression that his boyfriend had been wearing when he'd been saying that sort of thing.

He knew that Renji was in the next room, but guilt tied him up and weighed him down with a heavy chain and it was impossible for him to do anything but wiggle around in perpetual discomfort on that dirty old cot. In Byakuya's opinion, Renji hadn't deserved to have his sword taken from him…

A small voice in his head kept reminding him that today he would have emerged the victor, no matter the means. But the rest of him couldn't stop thinking about how he had somehow dishonored his boyfriend in a way that was unacceptable, considering the circumstances.

He was concerned for Grimmjow, too. Byakuya had been washing up in the big, fancy, indoor bath (the only Japanese style room in the building, he'd learned) that evening, and when walking back to his room, he'd caught Torao talking to Renji next door. With his door cracked open, Byakuya had been able to capture bits and pieces of the conversation. It was about Grimmjow, and about how he had been whipped for his loss. Renji was shocked, and, it appeared, guilty. He had told Grimmjow… _something_, but Byakuya didn't catch that. What Byakuya did hear was that Torao saying that if anything were to happen, Takeshi knows that they would be on _their_ side.

It wasn't his place to wonder what it all meant… But for Ulquiorra's sake, he was really worried about Grimmjow. He had stood there and watched the flogging happen. It had been so inhumane. Not to speak of Grimmjow's position, it was as if Takeshi had to steel himself after each blow to do it again.

_Damn it. _Byakuya placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He really wanted to talk to Renji.

_… Can pride make a man a coward? _He was so tired from this strange, eye opening day. His head was spinning a bit. But Byakuya truly wondered: could his pride also sometimes constitute cowardice? He knew that at times, one had to overcome their pride and do things that humbled them—humiliated them, even. But one had to overcome fear, as well. Was he afraid of going next door (_Just next door! _He kept telling himself.) , or was he simply too proud to squarely face the man he had defeated? Was he scared of looking Renji in the eyes, or did he think he was now above Renji?

All of these and more exhausting, troubling thoughts passed through the fatigued mind of Kuchiki Byakuya, the next head of the Kuchiki clan and heir of the ancient sword style without a name.

.x.x.x.x.

_"Kuchiki,"_

Byakuya blinked rapidly. _Where am I?_

"_Kuchiki,"_

_"Who's there?" _Byakuya looked around warily. Everything was white. Well, it would be more accurate to say that everything was _bright_, and it was too hard to see anything besides this bright white light that seemed to stretch on forever. He was aware that he was kneeling, but it was with a shock that he realized that he was naked. When he instinctively tried to cover himself up, he brushed the ground. _Wood._

_"Come." _It was not a request. It was a command.

_"What?" _Byakuya called. _"Come where?"_

… Somehow, it smelled like cherry blossoms.

_"Kuchiki… Byakuya…" _A labored breath, as though this entity was struggling to speak. _"I… am waiting…"_

A sudden flurry of cherry blossom petals drifted softly before Byakuya, propelled by a soft breeze that came from somewhere unknown. Behind the spell of sweet pink, a figure stood.

Byakuya rose, and stepped forward, reaching out his hand. _"… Hey!"_

His eyes suddenly flashed open to view pitch black nothingness. As he grew accustomed to the dark, Byakuya could make out the panels of the wall.

He very faintly smelled cherry blossoms.

Sighing deeply, he murmured to himself, "That dream again, huh?"

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) kusarigama - _think of ninja... this is like, two sickles with handles, connected by a long, strong chain. So it could be long range or middle range or short range, really._**

* * *

**The next chapter will be out shortly, just have patience... Which I know doesn't say a lot when it took forever and a day to get this chapter out ._.**

**ANYWAY. Review, please! Tell me what you think! :D But no trolling and be nice, 'kay? Criticism is accepted if it is polite and helpful :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_**See disclaimer in chapter 1**_

_**WARNING: Chapter contains explicit lime***  
**_

_**xxxx**_

**Okay. So this chapter is my apology for getting chapter 3 out so doggone late. I felt kind of awful about it, so I did this... And then I got carried away and put in a GrimmUlqui lime ._. Please don't be mad! I know that this fic is supposed to be RenBya but there are some other couples too... And it just kind of happened... Like, the lime just sort of fell out onto the keyboard while I was typing and suddenly there was sexy time! I dunno! I'm sorry!**

**Anyway! I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. I won't be posting again for a while, sadly, but if anyone wants to check out what else I'm working on, feel free to check out my profile! :)**

**xxxx**

**_Yonaka Kyoki: _Yep Yep it is! :D I'm glad you like it!  
**

_**Shenigmatic:**_** Ahh I'm glad you like it too! Your comment made me happy :D**

**xxxx**

**I just want to say that my heart really, really goes out to everyone in Oklahoma. I was crying when I watched the news this morning, it's so tragic, especially with all those children. These things happen, but it doesn't make something like this any less awful. I'll be praying for everyone!**

**Enjoy!**

**x~Snow~Storm~x**

* * *

"Shit!" Grimmjow growled. His back was bleeding again, but it didn't exactly matter because Ichigo was still swinging a blade at him.

He made a move to block with Pantera, but he winced and faltered at the last moment.

Ichigo stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Oi. You good, still?"

"Yeah, keep going." The blunette ground out. He still had quite a bit of pent up frustration and anger within him. The more weakness he saw in himself, the more those feelings grew.

"Wait! Don't listen to him, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu cried, suddenly rushing to them from out of nowhere. "Kitty-chan is absolutely _not _okay!"

Grimmjow growled in irritation at the nickname, but was distracted in slight surprise when Karin actually interjected for once. "Yeah," she agreed casually. The other girl was lounging in a lawn chair nearby, watching the two men have it out. That, or sleeping. "Ya might wanna stop that bleeding. Those clothes are already ruined… Just saying."

Grimmjow heaved an annoyed sigh. They sat down at the picnic table, and Grimmjow tried his damnest to be patient while Yuzu tended his wounds. It's not that she wasn't good at it, he just wasn't fond of people messing with him when he was bleeding all over the fucking place.

"So," Ichigo began, feigning casualness. _Crap. Here we go. _The blunette didn't even bother to hide his eye roll. "You never actually bothered to explain why you showed up last night in that condition, at one in the morning… If you can explain why I had to clean blood of off my carpet in the middle of the night, I'd really like to hear it."

Grimmjow scowled, settling his cheek in the palm of his hand—before jolting in surprise and pain.

"Ow, dammit!"

_Oh yeah. That hurts._

"You can start with that."

"Oh, this was the oyaji**[1]**." Grimmjow returned easily, but somehow, he couldn't say it as casually and simply as he usually did… "But…"

"… But?" Ichigo prompted, leaning forward expectantly.

"But… he did it for the same reason as why there are whip marks on my back…"

"Go on…"

"Actually, he did that, too—"

"What?!" Ichigo interrupted in horror. "That's just going too far, Grimmjow!"

"No! I mean… Shateigashira**[2]** Ryuma made him do it… I don't think he actually wanted to or anything… I think I could tell that even someone like him wouldn'ta ever wanted to go that far…" _Besides, he knows that pullin' shit like that woulda made kaasan cry._

They were quiet. Yuzu brought out lemonade for Ichigo, and water for Grimmjow. Grimmjow hated sour things. He placed his hands on the glass, enjoying the coolness. He took a few gulps from it, glancing up at the other man when he heard him sigh.

The question came slowly, as if Ichigo knew this was a loaded inquiry. "So… What caused all this, then?"

Grimmjow opened his mouth as if to answer, but he shut it as a wave of doubt washed over him.

"Uhh. I dunno if I'm in a position to tell ya right now… All you need to know is that there's this guy I fought—on 'friendly' terms, 'kay?—'n I lost. I was supposed to win—I mean I was expected to. And… ya know how Seireitei is to anyone in a family that used to be with Hueco Mundo…"

Ichigo nodded solemnly. "… Well damn…"

Grimmjow crossed his arms moodily. They sat in a heavy, yet somehow companionable silence. There was a strange comfort and understanding in it that would have been lacking in speech. Ichigo's phone vibrated dully now and then on the table. Once, a soft smile graced his tanned visage, but it disappeared before Grimmjow could make a jab at him. _Keh. Probably his cute little girlfriend._

Ichigo stretched his arms out wide, giving a contented sigh-groan.

"Well, I guess we should head back."

"Mhmm…" Grimmjow suddenly started out of his empty daydream. "Wait. What? Why? And—wait! We?!"

Ichigo shrugged casually. "Well, I mean, you'll just get into more trouble if you can't take your punishment gracefully, right? Besides, I wanna know what's going on."

Grimmjow sighed, shaking his head. Really, he didn't care _that_ much that Ichigo was coming. _He _simply did not want to return. Not after that humiliating defeat… He did not want to face Ulquiorra.

Sighing once more, Ichigo stood and picked up both of their drink glasses. "Well, let's go."

Grimmjow stood slowly, arching his body into a deep, cat-like stretch. He followed Ichigo into the house, Karin slowly trailing after.

"Oi, Ichigo!" The bluenette called as he flopped unceremoniously onto the couch. "You bringin' yer lil' lady with ya?"

"Nah!" Ichigo called back from up in his room. In a moment, he was shuffling back down the stairs, sword in hand. "Hey, ya wanna let anyone know you're comin' back? So that they don't think ya just ditched, I mean."

Grimmjow shrugged. He probably _should _do that, but the consequences would be the same either way. Ulquiorra was out of the question. Renji was probably still in a mood, and his oyaji was probably more pissed than he'd ever been in his life. So…

"Nope. Outta the question." He grunted, heaving himself off the couch.

"Kitty-chan!" Yuzu ran into the room, her big, brown eyes bright with worry. "Don't you want to re-bandage your wounds?"

"Yeah…" Karin muttered, wandering out from where she had been in the kitchen. "Now that you're not bleeding anymore, you should have Yuzu re-bandage your wounds. I'll go up to Ichigo's room and get some clothes for you. You'll scare people if you go around covered in blood like that."

"Augh..." Growling and huffing in annoyance, the bluenette allowed Yuzu to drag him into the Kurosaki clinic.

* * *

Grimmjow took a deep breath, filling his lungs with a fresh, woodsy smell. He hated that smell.

"Hey." Ichigo clapped Grimmjow on the back. A little more hiking and they'd be back at the old base. "I'll back you up if something happens."

Grimmjow scoffed. He knew just how untrue that statement really was. Ichigo—no, no one in their right mind—would _ever _go against their higher-ups.

A loud noise like a gunshot reverberated around them. They stopped, instinctively hiding themselves.

"What the fuck?!" Grimmjow mouthed at Ichigo.

"Dunno." Ichigo mouthed back.

It was far off, but it came from the direction they were headed. As he peered around the thick tree trunk he hid behind, Grimmjow could make out a figure moving east, hopefully away from the unused base. Probably away, Grimmjow decided, as they were moving at a southwesterly angle to make it there.

When the figure disappeared into the trees, Grimmjow breathed a sigh of relief. They continued walking in a wary silence.

Soon enough, a large, daunting edifice emerged from among the trees. "Well, here we are." Ichigo murmured.

They stopped in front of the old, dilapidated structure. It loomed over Grimmjow as a dictatorial old patron, and a tight bundle of nerves where his stomach was supposed to be clenched even tighter as he shoved open the doors. Takeshi was leaning up against the wall in the entry hall. He didn't look at them, and only inhaled the tobacco within his cancer stick. The cinders in the tip burned red-orange, the only real light in the hall. Some noise was coming from the direction of the kitchen, but all was generally quiet. Ichigo stood at Grimmjow's side.

Finally, Takeshi's striking silver eyes peered over at him. Just him—Grimmjow. Takeshi inhaled deeply, contemplatively. As he straightened his back away from the wall, he sighed out billowing, grey toxin.

"Well." He muttered at length. "You're back." Now, there were small crystals of green shining like emeralds against the metallic backdrop of his irises. His eyes always seemed to Grimmjow like an ever changing kaleidoscope. If he didn't know better, he'd almost think Takeshi's eyes functioned like some kind of mood indicator. He remembered his mother often joking about that with Takeshi.

Grimmjow sneered at him. "Tch. Didja think I'd be scared off by a little spanking?"

Takeshi shrugged apathetically and turned his back. To Grimmjow's utter shock, he was walking away.

_What, no yellin'? No beatin' me? Not even a single damn threat?! _Grimmjow cocked his head to the side in confusion. _… What the hell?!_

Grimmjow and Ichigo followed Takeshi at a cautious distance. The bluenette was jumping at shadows now. He was starting to panic, not from punishment, but from lack thereof. It was like he was waiting for a verdict and a sentence. He was hanging in the balance.

But Takeshi had disappeared into the den, and Grimmjow and Ichigo were now heading toward the stairs. The old wood creaked loudly with each step, and Grimmjow was sure that if nothing had happened yet, it would happen now, for these noises would alert his punishers (whoever they may be) of their/his presence. Hopefully they wouldn't take Ichigo, too.

… But nothing happened.

"… I'm going to my room." Grimmjow muttered finally. "Comin'?"

Ichigo nodded, still surveying the area with suspicion. Evidently, he was of the same opinion as Grimmjow pertaining to their upcoming punishment… if they were indeed to receive one. Still, it was very quiet.

Suddenly, a stark white arm shot out from the darkness and slammed against the wall with a thump, blocking Grimmjow's path into his room. Luminous green eyes, gleaming with irritation, met bemused ice blue with harsh accusation. A shiver of fear ran up Grimmjow's spine.

Then, came the voice—that ever changing, ocean-like, yet somehow always melancholy voice—that he so desperately desired and yet so desperately did not want to hear.

"You're coming with me." Ulquiorra intoned gravely. "We need to talk."

Grimmjow glanced a bit sheepishly at Ichigo, giving him an awkward shrug. "See ya in the mornin'," he said as he was dragged off to his boyfriend's room.

The door to Ulquiorra's room slammed shut, and he began lighting a few candles with his lighter.

_Wait. His lighter?_

"Ulquiorra," Grimmjow began hesitantly, "Why in the hell do you have a lighter?"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes dramatically. "I'm lighting candles in a place that is _supposed_ to have electricity, and you ask why I have a lighter? Really, Grimmjow? But anyway, the electricity is temporarily out."

"Well I just didn't know that you smoked!"

Ulquiorra exhaled a long, slow breath. "No, Grimmjow. No, I do not smoke." But he glanced away for a moment, with what seemed like discomfort. "But I did for a few years… Now I just keep this lighter on me."

Grimmjow's eyes widened, and he laughed loudly. "Wow!" He exclaimed. "My cute little honors student is a bad boy!"

Ulquiorra scowled. "Did you forget that I wanted to speak with you? Be serious, for once!" he hissed irately.

Grimmjow dropped his smile instantly. _Whoops. _"My bad…" He shifted around awkwardly in the semi-darkness, trying to make out the shape of the grimy little cot.

Then he felt slim, strong fingers grip his hand and tug. "Over here." Ulquiorra murmured.

Indeed, so it was. Grimmjow nearly fell over it, and Ulquiorra snorted in amusement.

"Sit." He commanded. He never _asked_ anything. _Nope, not that young master._

"At least a please would be nice…" The bluenette grumbled as he crawled onto the cot.

Ultimately ignoring that comment, Ulquiorra scrambled onto Grimmjow's lap. Entirely surprised by this, Grimmjow's hands floundered around awkwardly in the air, sometimes resting somewhere on Ulquiorra's body. _What is with this kid tonight?_

With a straight face, Ulquiorra's ghostly hands clapped Grimmjow's cheeks.

"Oww!" he glared at his boyfriend. "What the fuck was that?!"

The black haired man grabbed his nose and yanked it, hard.

"Arghh! Shit—!"

Then, after all of these entirely unexpected proceedings, the ultimately unexpected event occurred. Ulquiorra wrestled Grimmjow free of his shirt before the bluenette could even process what was going on. The raven haired man crawled off of Grimmjow's lap and peered around at the bandaged back. He quietly "tsked" and yanked Grimmjow down a bit by the ear.

"Hatch—outch—ugh—ah—!"

"So, you went to Ichigo's huh?"

"Let—goooo!"

Mercifully, Ulquiorra let Grimmjow go. The bluenette was aware he was pouting, but he just hoped (in vain, he knew) that Ulquiorra couldn't see.

"I know that you needed to be away and let yourself cool down. Your father evidently knew this, too. Abarai-sama didn't think that you would return. But your father stuck up for you." Ulquiorra shook his head disapprovingly. "But… still. You could have told me… Obviously I couldn't wait for you to return to consciousness, because that would show that I was overly concerned… But you never came back."

"But you just said you knew I would. So what gives, huh?" Grimmjow growled irritably.

"I knew you'd come back, because I know how your temper runs. But… with those wounds, and everything else…"

"Tch." Grimmjow knew what he was saying. Really, he did. But… "In this business, worrying gets ya nowhere fast. Ya better learn that now."

"I already know that…"

"Speakin' of…" Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra closer to him. He was a bit surprised when the other didn't object; he was usually adverse to displays of affection, whether public or private. "Who teaches you how to fight? And why? Is it just like, tradition, or something?"

"No…" Ulquiorra hesitated, looking up at Grimmjow with his bright green orbs. Damn, Grimmjow wanted to kiss him then. But that would just earn him a slap on the face. "Actually, my sofu**[3]** was in Hueco Mundo…"

Grimmjow couldn't suppress a small gasp. "Really?" he asked softly.

Ulquiorra nodded. "I received the zanpakuto, Murciélago, from my otousama**[4]** before his death."

"Oh… Kinda like how I got Pantera passed down to me, I guess… But that's kind of a shocker. No wonder yer family's so rich, they're yakuza!" Grimmjow exclaimed, laughing a bit.

Ulquiorra shrugged, yawning.

"Ya tired?" Grimmjow glanced down at Ulquiorra. "I'll leave if ya—"

"No."

"Mhmm. Whatever." Grimmjow couldn't resist the grin the spread across his face. He dragged Ulquiorra even closer, leaning down to nuzzle his soft neck. He still smelled faintly like soap from the bath he'd had earlier that evening. Deciding to take advantage of Ulquiorra's willing mood, he took the plunge. Grimmjow kissed Ulquiorra softly on the neck, and, receiving no negative response, he moved to the lips. It was a light, chaste kiss at first. Grimmjow needed the go ahead to continue. Call him whipped if you want, but he had learned his lesson not to test Ulquiorra. He had learned the hard way.

Grimmjow allowed Ulquiorra to deepen the kiss at his own leisure. Soft lips opened up against his, and he followed the movement like a shadow. Then, hesitantly, something soft and wet slipped into Grimmjow's mouth. He immediately took over the kiss. Threading fingers through Ulquiorra's soft, black hair, Grimmjow tilted his head back to gain better access. His other hand ghosted up one of Ulquiorra's arms. It swept softly along his shoulder blade, then lightly down the path of his spine. His lover shivered slightly, and wrapped both of his arms around Grimmjow's neck, pressing closer. When they broke apart for air, the bluenette was able to glimpse a very light, pink flush across Ulquiorra's cheeks. It was kind of a secret, but big, bad Grimmjow was completely unable to resist cute things. Ulquiorra was extremely adorable, in his opinion. But if he ever said that, he'd get a fist in his face.

The quiet, studious boy could be much more violent than people thought.

Ulquiorra leaned in again, brushing his lips against Grimmjow's. He ran his tongue across the bluenette's bottom lip, and bit it, enticing a soft growl. Grimmjow tugged Ulquiorra's arm, hard, causing the top half of his lithe body to land on Grimmjow's lap. He lifted Ulquiorra's chin up for a more aggressive kiss, still holding onto his arm lest he should shy away from Grimmjow's vigor. And he did, at first. He stiffened, and attempted to pull back. But Grimmjow took his hand away from his chin, and ran it slowly up and down his spine. He caressed Ulquiorra's tongue seductively, gently, intending to make his heart burn with desire for him.

Grimmjow finally pulled away. Both of them were gasping for air, and Grimmjow moved a stray lock of hair away from Ulquiorra's face. Unable to resist more, he began on the pale neck, planting open-mouthed kisses and allowing his teeth to graze here and there.

"Grimm…" Ulquiorra murmured in protest.

Grimmjow peered up at him from his ministrations. He knew what was coming. But he didn't want to stop.

"Don't worry." He uttered. His voice was dark and low, and he knew that hearing it turned his lover on. "I'm not gonna try anythin' here."

Ulquiorra looked away for a moment, as if contemplating something. Grimmjow was growing impatient. _Three months, and he _still _hasn't put out… Damn it…_

"Alright." Ulquiorra whispered. "Just do… whatever… As long as we don't risk being found out… And as long as you go to your own room after!"

"Hah. That's a given, babe."

"Don't call me tha—"

Grimmjow silenced him with another kiss. He knew Ulquiorra hated being called by such a feminine pet name, but at the moment, Grimmjow was a bit irritated. He needed to relieve some stress, and Ulquiorra wasn't exactly the most generous or understanding lover in the world…

Grimmjow dragged Ulquiorra all the way onto his lap, so that he was straddling him. He made sure that Ulquiorra was pressed against the growing hardness straining against his jeans.

"You should feel bad for constantly being such a tease." Grimmjow muttered.

Ulquiorra squirmed around in discomfort, and Grimmjow barely stifled a groan. Ulquiorra was bright pink now—and what Grimmjow would give to see that cute face underneath him, and moaning his name.

Grimmjow's hands slid down Ulquiorra's back to his ass, massaging it and fondling it. With that attention on his ass, Ulquiorra began unconciously moving his lower body against Grimmjow's now full-on erection.

"You have such a fine ass…" Grimmjow whispered huskily.

Ulquiorra let out a rather embarrassing mewl, but he tried to cover it with a gasp. "St—stop…" he whispered softly.

If he _really, really _wanted to get away, he could.

So Grimmjow licked Ulquiorra's lips and kissed him lightly. "No." Slowly, Grimmjow's hands snaked up underneath Ulquiorra's shirt. When hands flew down to stop him, Grimmjow smirked evilly. "It's not fair that my shirt's off, but yours isn't."

Ulquiorra scowled, but allowed Grimmjow to lift his shirt off. The bluenette ran his hands up and down the soft, white flesh, marveling at its unblemished perfection. It was wholly free of any mark, bruise, scratch or scar; a pure body, not a killing machine—unlike his own body.

"Why do you always stare at me like this?" Ulquiorra asked insecurely.

Grimmjow shrugged, leaning in and brushing his lips against his lover's. "'Cuz yer not exactly what I see when I look in the mirror."

Ulquiorra was about to say something, but whatever he could have said was turned into a low moan when Grimmjow palmed his crotch through his pants. It was his way of telling Ulquiorra to just shut up and enjoy. The mood Grimmjow was in, he wasn't about to let this situation be ruined for him. He needed this. Ulquiorra's fingers dug into Grimmjow's shoulders as he unzipped his fly. He grinned upon hearing Ulquiorra's gasp, but that grin quickly turned to a lusty groan as Ulquiorra bit down hard on his shoulder to silence himself. Grimmjow also tried to muffle his voice, but did so just a bit late, in his opinion. _Fuck it. People should be asleep now, assholes._

Grimmjow hoisted Ulquiorra up a bit and yanked off both his pants and his underwear. He grinned up at the blushing man and gave a few gentle strokes to Ulquiorra's member.

"Look at this…" Grimmjow took a finger and pressed it onto the slit, making Ulquiorra wriggle a bit. "Yer already like this…" He pulled his hand away and licked the pre-cum off of his finger. "Why do ya always say no when yer body obviously wants it?"

Grimmjow allowed his left hand to slip down to cup Ulquiorra's ass cheek again. His other hand brought Ulquiorra's hand to his fly.

"Me too?" he inquired innocently.

His thoughts were anything _but _innocent, and Ulquiorra knew it. Grimmjow slid his hand back onto Ulquiorra's erection and began pumping it, his hand easily sliding up and down with the aid of the dripping pre-cum.

With a shaking hand, Ulquiorra slowly unzipped Grimmjow's jeans. He suddenly jolted at a particularly tasty thrust from Grimmjow's hand, and had to stifle another moan.

"Grimm…" he pleaded huskily.

"Keh… You can be so scatterbrained… Aren't you supposed to be stripping me right now? But instead it looks like you're enjoying yourself…" Grimmjow asked mockingly.

"I—Ah—!"

"Shhh…"

As little control as Grimmjow usually had over himself in these situations, his life and Ulquiorra's could very possibly be over if they got caught screwing around. So as he rid himself of his jeans, he resisted the urge to make moan Ulquiorra even louder and instead covered his mouth up with his own. The bluenette grinded against Ulquiorra, who was now eagerly responding to his thrusts and returning the favor in kind. Grimmjow nearly began suffocating on Ulquiorra's tongue when he felt a hand unexpectedly begin to rub both of their erections together.

"Augh! Shit!" He choked out.

"Shhh…" Ulquiorra shushed him, glaring at him with something almost like amusement in his eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Grimmjow pushed Ulquiorra backward onto the cot and kissed him, biting his lip.

"Don't tell me to be quiet." He growled unhappily.

He slowly pumped their stiff cocks together, nipping lightly at Ulquiorra's neck, until the pale man was writhing underneath him, straining for more friction.

"Again I say… And you said ya didn't want it…" Grimmjow hissed in his ear.

His speed was hastening, and Ulquiorra was thrusting erratically into his hand. He was so close, but Grimmjow forced himself to keep going. A quiet grunt managed to escape his lips, but he clenched his teeth and screwed his eyes shut in determination. _Keep going_.

"Grimm… jow.. nnh…!" Ulquiorra moaned, his body shuddering in ecstasy.

That was the last straw for him. Grimmjow buried his face into the crook of Ulquiorra's neck and bit down, hard, to stifle any noise he'd make. His body jolted in ecstasy with each shot of semen that erupted from him.

"AH—!" Ulquiorra's hand flew over his mouth to stifle his cry of pain from the bite.

Grimmjow gently cupped Ulquiorra's balls and dragged his fingers up the length of his shaft. His hand encircled the swollen head, dripping with their pre-cum and Grimmjow's come. He gave the cock a shallow pump, and received a small moan in return. Ulquiorra was at his limit. The way he was looking at Grimmjow was almost enough to make him hard again. He couldn't resist. This was too sexy.

Grimmjow leaned over Ulquiorra's cock and licked it slowly, all the way from the base to the tip. Ulquiorra turned bright red, and covered his face to hide the fact he was blushing that hard. Unfortunately for him, his neck and ears were red, too. _So fuckin' cute._ Grimmjow wrapped his tongue around the head of the penis, tasting his own semen mixed in with the pre-cum. In a strange way, it was sort of a turn on.

Ulquiorra writhed and gasped under his teasing ministrations, constantly emitting soft moans that were muffled by the forearm he was trying to keep over his mouth. When Grimmjow finally took all of him into his mouth, Ulquiorra gasped as one of his hands flew down to grab the tuft of blue hair. Almost right away, he felt warmth invading his mouth. Quickly pulling away, he felt it splatter onto his face as well.

After a moment, Ulquiorra peeked up sheepishly at Grimmjow from underneath his arm. "Sorry…" he murmured, still bright red.

Grimmjow just threw him a satisfied grin and began wiping them both off with his shirt.

_Shit. Wait. This is Ichigo's—Oh well. What he don't know won't hurt 'im…_

Grimmjow found Ulquiorra's shirt first, and tossed it to him. Then he went on the hunt for his own clothes. Unexpectedly, he was interrupted.

"Um…"

Grimmjow glanced at Ulquiorra for a moment. "Hm?"

"Can you…" The dark haired man look down at the shirt in his lap, frowning. "Will you stay here tonight?"

_… Well, sonuva—_

"It doesn't necessarily mean that we did anything! Ichigo saw me drag you off to talk to you, and maybe we just fell asleep talking to each other, or you were too lazy to go back to your room."

"Hey! Why do I have to be too lazy? Why can't I just be tired?"

"Because you're trash." Ulquiorra was trying to sound haughty, but it was probably difficult even for someone like him when they've just experienced an orgasm and are still incredibly naked.

Grimmjow sighed, and glanced at the door uncertainly. Surely, this was not a smart move. But… Ulquiorra had never really requested him before. He'd always just been following Ulquiorra like a love-sick puppy. It was aggravating, really. _Why am I dating this kid, again?_ _I put up with all his fuckin' verbal abuse and I get nothin' for it…_

"Fine… I guess…" He was a bit suspicious… Just a bit.

Tentatively, Grimmjow lied down on the cot, waiting for Ulquiorra to tell him to move, and sleep on the floor. If he told him that, he'd go to his own room. But that never happened. Instead, Ulquiorra crawled up next to him and snuggled closer, bringing the thin, moth eaten blankets up with him.

Ulquiorra sighed. "I need time…" he whispered.

"Hmm?" Grimmjow didn't understand the sudden statement.

"I'm not gay, Grimmjow… I told you that on the outset… I'm not gay, so I need… time… Does an idiot like you even understand how difficult this is for me to say?!"

Grimmjow covered his mouth, and sighed heavily into his hand. He imagined that all of his rage was poured out of his body in that one breath. That's what he'd been taught in his anger management classes. He'd learned to simply ignore the rude things that spewed forth from those wonderful, gossamer lips. Ulquiorra might hurt and aggravate him, but if he ever struck out at Ulquiorra in one of his rages, the damage might be irreversible.

"Look…" he began, trying to sound calmer than he was. "I'm not gay, either. Don't get me wrong, I don't go for guys, but I don't think you look like a girl, either. But… you're just, to me…" Grimmjow shook his head, turning his head away from Ulquiorra. If he didn't get it by now…

"I know…" Ulquiorra whispered. To Grimmjow's surprise, Ulquiorra's hand hesitantly found his. "I know how you feel… And I at least know that I have a similar feeling… I want to be more physical with you, but, because we are both male, I struggle with the… with it." He ended awkwardly.

Before Ulquiorra knew what was coming, Grimmjow turned and kissed him on the forehead.

In response to Ulquiorra's wide eyes, he said, "We'll work on it." He said it, and he meant it. But damn, it was hard with someone so awful at communicating things like that...

* * *

Renji blew out a heavy gust of air and wiped the sweat off of his brow. The sun was beginning to set. He had enjoyed a nice, solitary trek out into the wilds surrounding the forest, and he was now ready to return. Tomorrow was Monday, and they would leave with the first train of the morning.

He still hadn't spoken to Byakuya.

The scent that told of the coming winter filled the air; a clean, bitingly cold scent that pervaded Renji's nostrils and made his lungs ache. The sky was more grey than anything these days, so he could tell that that first frosty gust of the new season would be coming sooner rather than later. The redhead pushed his hands into his pockets. It disturbed him not to have that heavy, familiar weight of his sword at his hip. He felt like he'd been tugged out of his skin, and put on display, a vulnerable, naked mess of tissue and bone, for all to see.

Or something like that.

He sighed moodily. He disliked as well, the fact that Byakuya was not by his side. The raven haired man never said much, but his presence spoke volumes, for he was a man who was disinterested in most things save for his studies and his clan. It was a warm, assuring presence, always.

But not anymore.

Ever since that Earth-shattering realization that _Byakuya could easily kill him_, the man, along with his comforting presence, was no more. It was colder and more unfeeling than steel, yet when Renji was in the same room with Byakuya he felt that he was choking, and he had to escape this man who could kill him without words. It was a heavy, menacing presence that Renji had been too full of himself to notice before. But it had always been there, and that was something that made him shudder.

Renji pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes from his jacket. He hadn't smoked for two years, but he needed it now. He was able to bum this new pack off of his dad, who sort of had some weird, twisted understanding and pity with Renji that was difficult to explain. Usually, he'd never ask anything from his dad. But sometimes…

As the redhead lit up, he paused on his journey back to the mansion, and glanced up at the sky. The sun peeked out slightly from behind the clouds, and the shedding trees were kind enough to let some of the light pass through their long, spindly fingers. Renji sighed out a breath of gaseous grey matter, tilting the cigarette in between his fingers.

He finally looked ahead, growling softly to himself in frustration before placing his cigarette back in between his lips.

He wanted to see him.

God help him, but he _had _to see him.

A growing feeling of discomforted wiggled its way into the pit of Renji's stomach. What would he say? How would Byakuya perceive him now?

"Shit…" he muttered.

"I wouldn't normally say anything, but you shouldn't smoke."

The sudden voice made him jump in surprise. Two gorgeous, dark eyes bore into Renji's own from a few yards away. Byakuya was sitting on a large rock, and leaning against a thick tree. His pale skin looked mystical in the dim, cloudy dusk, and his hair was still damp from his bath. Irritation sparked feebly in Renji.

"You should go dry your hair. It's chilly out." He muttered as he passed the raven haired man.

Renji heard a sigh, and then what sounded like Byakuya moving. He wanted to scream. He couldn't take having his back to… a _predator_ like this.

"You're uncomfortable, I can sense that much." Byakuya calmly interposed.

Renji stiffened slightly. "Tch. Wonder why? The guy who was pissed at me for killing is a killing machine himself!" Renji hoped that what he was saying would cut into the unfeeling man, at least a bit.

"Alright, I will give you that." Byakuya seemed to concede. "But… does that have anything to do with our relationship?"

Renji had to keep himself from gagging. "Okay. I _know_ that this is not why you came out here. You were _not_ looking for me to talk to me about this shit." Renji's tone was cruel and mocking, but at this point he wasn't about to try and fix that. He allowed his voice to drip with all the sarcasm and venom he could possibly muster. "You just saw me, and being the proud, noble shit you are, you decide, 'Well, I guess there's no way around it then, huh?' I'm right aren't I? I don't even want to look at you." Renji's stomach flopped uncomfortably and he knew that he would regret the rest of this. "You're disgusting. Why don't you come back to me once you've grown some balls and your pride doesn't get in the way every fucking thing that happens to you!" He couldn't bring himself to look at Byakuya. This was shameful. But if he looked at him, he might change his mind. "Until you know what I'm talking about, I don't want you to come near me. We're done."

Renji thanked every God in the earth, sky and sea that the ever thickening knot in his throat didn't overwhelm him until the end of his little spiel.

* * *

"Okay, so they are after it, too…" Ryuma tapped his pen onto the wooden table, biting his lip in thought.

"Yes, sir!" The man across from him affirmed.

Ryuma glared back up at him. God, but he got shivers from just looking at him. He looked like a ghost. And those eyes… A good for nothing snake, through and through.

"That gonna be all, mister?" The man asked impatiently.

Ryuma sighed, absently petting his beard. "Yes… I supposed that will be all. I will be reporting to the head of the Zero Division as per usual." _So if you lie, we'll know…_

"Yessir! Gotcha, sir!" The man put on a big, perky grin before getting up to exit.

"Make sure you go the back way." Ryuma rumbled in a low voice. "Or else the others will see you…"

"I know, sir…"

He didn't trust him, not at all. His eyes shined with a devious cunning, and his smile spoke of lies. Ryuma didn't trust him _at all_.

So, why in all the seven hells, did the Zero Division so dearly value information given to them by _him _of all people?

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) oyaji: _I've made an annotation of this before, but whatevs. Old man, as in dad. Like, my ol' man the other day blah blah blah... Yeah. _**

**2) shateigashira: _Yakuza 2nd lieutenant (We're gonna be getting more into the yakuza side of this, besides just tattoos lol)_**

**3) sofu: _again, I've already annotated this, but it's the "humble" way of referring to your own grandfather. _**

**4) otousama: _respectful/formal way to say father (due to addition of -sama)_**

* * *

**SO. Please, please review, but go easy on me as far as the lime goes, yeah? I tried really really hard and I've never done anything like that before. I mean, I've never done anything so... graphic. lol But really. Review! I'm eager to hear what everyone thinks :D**


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